In 2022, the Grim Reapers transitioned to the F-35A Lightning II, closing the chapter of the F-15C Eagle in the history of the 493rd Fighter Squadron. However, the Eagle certainly did not leave Europe by quietly fading into the background
The following story is based on an essay by Lieutenant Colonel Todd “Buddha” Pearson, the last Grim Reaper commander of the F-15C Eagle era, appearing in Patrick Van Dam’s book Mission Ready.
END OF AN ERA — 493rd Fighter Squadron, 2021–2022
According to Lt. Col. Todd “Buddha” Pearson, the Grim Reapers have a rich history operating the F-15C in Europe and across the globe. The final years of the F-15C era saw dramatic changes across the European Area of Responsibility: a global pandemic, armed conflict, and a resurgence of Cold War tensions. Throughout this period, the Reapers remained on the front lines, deploying across Europe, Africa, the Arctic Circle, and the Middle East. The squadron responded to events in Eastern Europe, integrated with NATO and partner air forces, conducted air policing missions, and took the Eagle to war for the first time in 18 years.
Pearson is emphatic that no account of the Grim Reapers would be complete without recognizing the Grim Reaper Eagle Keepers. The Aircraft Maintenance Unit served as the behind-the-scenes sortie generation machine that kept the Reapers at the tip of the spear. The synergy between the Operations and Maintenance teams — collectively known as the Gold Team — reflected the dedication of its people to the mission, captured in the unit phrase: “It’s good to be Gold.”
In 2022, the Grim Reapers transitioned to the F-35A Lightning II, closing the chapter of the F-15C Eagle in the history of the 493rd Fighter Squadron. The Eagle, however, did not leave Europe quietly. In 2018, the squadron deployed to Aviano AB, Italy, in support of Operation Steadfast Protector. Within 36 hours of arrival, the Reapers were conducting Offensive Counter-Air and Defensive Counter-Air missions in support of a large-scale coalition airstrike in Syria. In early 2019, the squadron was again called to rapidly deploy to the Middle East in support of Operation Inherent Resolve (later Deliberate Resolve), navigating complicated rules of engagement and compressed decision timelines. During the same deployment, the Reapers pivoted as part of Operation Spartan Shield in direct response to Iranian aggression in the Arabian Gulf, providing DCA for U.S. Navy assets conducting recovery operations for an RQ-4 shot down in international airspace. The squadron continued to provide air dominance alongside joint U.S. and coalition forces until returning to RAF Lakenheath in July 2019.
On June 15, 2020, 1st Lt. Kenneth “Kage” Allen was lost in a training accident in the North Sea during a four-ship Defensive Counter-Air scenario. Pearson, who was airborne that day flying as part of the opposing forces, describes the loss as deeply felt well beyond the walls of the 493rd Fighter Squadron — a sobering reminder that fighter aviation is an unforgiving profession and that the freedoms it defends carry a real cost.
In February 2022, well into the F-15C drawdown, the Grim Reaper Eagles were called forward one final time, deploying to Lask Air Base in Poland as part of Operation Atlas Guardian in response to Russia’s imminent hostilities in Ukraine. As in many conflicts over preceding decades, Eagles were among the first combat aircraft into theater, immediately providing around-the-clock DCA of NATO’s western flank. When Russia invaded Ukraine, the Grim Reapers maintained Combat Air Patrols for nearly 48 continuous hours — a remarkable operational feat given the limited number of aircraft and personnel available, and a testament to the Ops and Maintenance team. With that final deployment, the history of the F-15C Eagle in Europe had come full circle: brought to the continent in 1977 to deter Soviet aggression, the Eagle fulfilled that same mission until the very end of its European service.
Pearson notes that the Eagle leaves a proud legacy for the Lightning to follow. The Grim Reapers are the last USAF squadron to shoot down an enemy fighter in aerial combat and are six-time winners of the Raytheon Trophy, awarded annually to the Top Air Dominance Squadron in the U.S. Air Force. That legacy has been built since the squadron moved to RAF Lakenheath in 1994, carrying forward the air superiority tradition of Eagle squadrons at Bitburg, Soesterberg, and Spangdahlem dating back to the type’s arrival in Europe in 1977. The Eagle’s 104-to-0 air-to-air kill ratio and the unbroken record of no enemy ordnance falling on friendly troops from the air since the Korean War stand as pillars of that heritage. That legacy, Pearson concludes, is now being passed to the next generation of Grim Reaper pilots as the squadron transitions to the F-35A Lightning II.
Mission Ready, by Patrick Van Dam, is available to order here.
The book combines photojournalism and fine art imagery, with essays contributed by prominent Reapers, including Gulf War veteran and MiG Killer “Rico” Rodriguez.
Specifications:
- 23×30 cm
- 232 pages
- 110 photos in color and black & white
- Hardcover clothbound with slipcase
Two editions are available: a standard edition and a limited edition. The first 493 copies (the limited edition) are hand-signed and numbered.
Mission Ready has received three honorable mentions at the International Photography Awards—for Documentary Books, Self-Published Photo Books, and Portrait Photography.
Photo by Patrick Van Dam
